‘Enough!’ Zhinu’s mother was usually entertained by their bickering – she thought it denoted some sort of sibling intimacy rather than actual pulsing hatred – but at that moment she was panicked by their predicament. ‘Zhinu, what has gotten into you? We don’t have time for this! We are stuck in a village in the middle of nowhere and we have things to do tomorrow!’ She tapped （slapped） the driver’s shoulder. ‘Could you make yourself useful and tell us precisely how long a replacement vehicle will take?’
The driver stuttered while her mother screeched at him to speak up, until Zhinu interjected and smiled at the driver. This seemed to calm him a little.
‘Sir, it’s okay. We just need to know so we can plan our night.’
The driver looked at Zhinu and only Zhinu, his eyes clinging on to her as if she was his life raft. ‘Two hours, madam.’
Zhinu could have sworn the screech her mother released was succeeded by the sound of wings flapping frantically outside the car.
‘You mean we’re STUCK in this village?’
Zhinu’s mother wrapped her lilac fur coat around her tighter, as if to shield herself from the curse of a town with no Starbucks in her immediate eyeline. It was summer – too hot for such an outfit – but her mother always dared and defied nature. She was a microclimate unto herself. ‘And we can’t even call a taxi because it’s unsafe! Do they even have taxis here?’
Zhinu tapped on her phone and in a few seconds sourced their precise location. ‘Okay, Mother, it isn’t a village, it’s a town. And from what I’ve seen from the window, it’s pretty. It’s actually quite close to where we’re going tomorrow. I think it would probably be easier for us to stay here for what’s left of the night and make an early start tomorrow. There will be someone here from the agency to pick us up tomorrow, right?’ She turned to the chauffeur and nodded at him hopefully. He nodded briskly back.
‘Yes, ma’am. Of course!’
Zhinu smiled and turned to her mother, trying not to relish this detour from routine too much. This was an adventure for her. ‘See? Breathe, Mama.’
Her mother glared. Zhinu couldn’t help but laugh at her mother’s dramatics, and her mother glared even harder.
‘Glad to see you find this amusing, Zhinu. Fine, we will stay here if we must. Bingwen, find the most expensive hotel. God help me if it’s a Marriott.’
They soon discovered that the town was a premium staycation destination. Zhinu’s mother balked at the term ‘staycation’。 With all the hotels booked up, the only place with any availability was an inn called The Magpie Lodge. To Zhinu, it was a sweet boutique hotel. Her mother referred to it as ‘a shack hardly fit for animals’。 At this point, Zhinu genuinely thought her mother might faint. This only made Zhinu like it more. It was only a seven-minute drive from where their chauffeured car had broken down （her mother had insisted on a taxi） and it was nestled on a narrow street built into the neighbouring forest. It seemed like a world away from the cities Zhinu was so used to staying in. Its grey bricks were illuminated by bamboo torches that lined and lit up the gravel path like noble guards. The encaustic tile roof was an inky celestial blue that melted into the sky. It was beautiful, delicate. She felt a sudden lightness come over her, a weightlessness that made her feel buoyant, despite the grumbles of her companions. Everything in her life was regimented, ordered and pre-ordained. This felt like a getaway.
There was no one at the front desk. The glossy rosewood was guarded by two blown glass magpies at each end, who watched on regally as Bingwen frantically tapped the bell to get someone’s attention and Zhinu’s mother demanded to know whether anybody in the empty lobby knew who they were.
Zhinu watched the two of them in amusement for a few moments before she decided to make her entertainment experience interactive.
Zhinu schooled her face to reflect her mother’s irritation. ‘Yeah, this is ridiculous! Why are we being treated like peasants?’ Her mother looked at her with what looked like a glimmer of pride as Zhinu continued, ‘I mean, where is the red carpet for the once nominated Most Popular Potential Idol? What’s next? People not recognising me as “shopping girl number two” from the Korean medicated anti-dandruff shampoo commercial? I’m Shopping Girl Number Two, damn it!’ Zhinu slapped the desk for emphasis.
Bingwen stopped tapping the bell to look at Zhinu with disgust. Her mother sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of her nose in tiny circles.